Parenthood
by strudelcutie427
Summary: After a seemingly uneventful battle with Reala, NiGHTS discovers an odd Nightopian egg...
1. Chapter 1

"Why do you always put up such a fight, NiGHTS?" Reala taunted, closing in on me. "Master Wizeman created you. You should be grateful to him."

"He created me to be his mindless little slave," I shot back. "Just like you are. I won't do it. I won't terrorize innocent Visitors." Reala chuckled. "Go away, Reala. I'm not going with you, you know that."

"That's what you say for now --"

"That's what I've always said, Reala. What I've always said and what I always will say."

"Come now - think of it as a - family reunion!"

"With family like that... Thanks, but no thanks." I flipped and started to draw a circle around him. He realized almost too late what I was doing and dashed to escape.

He rammed into me right before I completed my paraloop. I fell to the ground. Reala snickered.

"I'll be back for you later," he declared, fading away.

"Oof. Oww..." I muttered, still laying on the ground. Something landed heavily on my stomach.

"Hey... what's this?" I asked, catching it before it could roll away. It looked like a Nightopian egg - but it was colored differently, with purple-ish tints. I held it in my arms and floated into the air to examine it. A mepian, perhaps? Would it hatch to reveal some birdheaded monstrocity? In any event, I felt a bond with this one - perhaps it had 'chosen' me, I mused. I mean, how often does a Nightopian egg just fall from the skye? I looked around. There were no Nightopians nearby - they fled when Reala showed up. So where had this come from?

Holding it carefully, I took off towards the Dream Gate. I'd find out soon enough - Nightopian eggs only took a couple days to hatch.


	2. Chapter 2

Reala did come back - and his attempt ended the way they always did. Reala went running back to Daddy Wizeman as I laughed.

Two days later, I was puzzled. The egg still hadn't hatched, and didn't seem to be planning on it any time soon. I was growing more and more curious as the minutes passed.

"Where did you come from?" I asked aloud, feeling so frustrated I just wanted to kick it. I had hidden it safely in a corner of the Dream Gate, where Reala wouldn't find it. He never had liked Nightopians...

Two more days passed. Reala was eerily quiet - he was probably getting chewed out by Wizeman for failing so many times to capture me. I chuckled at the thought as I lounged lazily around the cave.

A crack. I jumped up, prepared to fight, until I heard it again. The egg! The egg was hatching! I watched it expectantly. What would it be? What was this thing that had taken so long to hatch? A crack across the top spread until the entire egg was riddled. It crumbled; finally I saw it - and my curiosity froze and slowly melted into horror.

"You're not a Nightopian..." I murmured. The only thing I could find to say. "You're..." I reached my hand out, and it wrapped its small hand around my finger, smiling brightly.

It looked like me.

The coloring was slightly off. It had red streaks where my horns faded to pink. But it looked like me... a tiny me. A baby Nightmaren.

The reality dawned on me suddenly and I jerked my hand away. Red streaks - Reala. When Reala knocked into me -

The child stared up at me, blue eyes wide with wonder.

I had a kid.

I had a kid _with Reala_.

But it was a kid nonetheless, and I had to take care of it.

I reached out and scooped the young Nightmaren into my arms. It was easy to lift - I'd carried Visitors before, and Nightmarens were infinitely less heavy. I held it close to my chest, and it cooed happily. Reala would not be happy about this if he found out...

"I guess you need a name."

* * *

A/n I don't even remember what brought this idea on, probably finding a mepian in my My Dream for the first time a while back. So I've just had this idea brewing recently, and I finally decided to jot it down. Just to clarify, this is not an NxR fic... just don't like that pairing. No offense to anyone who does, just, this isn't one.


	3. Chapter 3

She grew on me. She ("she" because any Visitors who I trusted with her existence insisted the pronoun "it" was rude, and said "she" seemed more feminine) was the embodiment of purity and sweetness. To her, the world was beautiful and free. She was untainted by Wizeman's cruelty, unaware of her origins.

I named her DReaMS.

It seemed kind of ironic - a creature born of Nightmare, named DReaMS. Reala wouldn't like it.

Of course, that was part of why I did it.

I couldn't let Reala find out. At least, not yet. Not until she was old enough to fight back. Not until she was old enough to understand good and bad, and that she didn't need to be like Reala. She didn't need to follow Wizeman's instructions. When she's old enough to understand that Wizeman threatens the very purity she so admires in the world... maybe then. Until then I'll hold her to my chest, hold her hand while she explores. Maybe soon I'll help her fly.

Reala didn't stay quiet for long. Less than a week later he appeared to stir up trouble at the Dream Gate. With DReaMS tucked safely (or as safely as she could be with Reala near) in the cave, I used the updraft to propel myself out of the cave before Reala could come looking.

"Reala!" I called to get his attention. "What do _you_ want?"

"I just wanted to visit my dear old brother, is that so wrong?"

"Don't call me that,"I spat, feeling sick at the thought. Technically, we weren't genetically related. But the idea made my skin crawl nonetheless.

"Ashamed to be related to me, NiGHTS?"

"Reala. I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here. That kind of banter only works when there are Visitors around. In case you haven't noticed, it doesn't even work then!" But before I could catch his answer, a sharp cry caught my attention. I recognized that voice... and it wasn't Reala. I dashed toward the cave - DReaMS must have followed me up into the updraft! I saw her flying into the air, flailing. I shot up and pulled her safely into my arms before she could fall. With DReaMS held closely to my chest, I turned back, reluctantly.

"Well, well, what's this? This is a young Nightmaren..." I shielded her protectively as Reala considered. At last he seemed to realize what had happened. His eyes widened, he swore, and I felt the world shiver as he took his leave. I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Definitely not according to plan.

What could I do? The question echoed through my mind for what must have been hours - but felt like decades. It phrased itself a million different ways. But every phrasing got the same answer: _I have no clue_. Reala knew. It was only a matter of time before he reported to Wizeman and Wizeman gave the obvious answer: Take that kid. Get it away from the traitor. Make it ours. The sleeping child had no idea the trouble she had caused, nor the danger she was in.

"What's her name?" came a soft voice from behind me. I leapt up, placing myself protectively between Reala and my child.

"What do you want? Why are you -"

"I'm not here for Wizeman," Reala assured, in the same soft voice. "I'm not here to cause trouble this time. I just want to talk." I eyed him suspiciously, and he threw up his arms as if to show me he was unarmed. Not that that made much of a difference; being a Nightmaren meant you didn't need weapons. He seemed sincere. I settled back down, nerves still jumping, and pulled DReaMS into my lap.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I laughed scornfully.

"Reala, do you really need to ask that? We've been on different sides for years. We haven't been friends in..." I trailed off and sighed. "I had no way to know how you'd react. Do you blame me?"

"No," he answered, a pained whisper.

"I'm sorry, Reala."

"What for? Why are you sorry?"

"For the way things have become. I never wanted to be enemies. We were always good friends... I didn't want that to change."

"Then come back," Reala urged. "Master Wizeman would-"

"Punish me? It'll go past that. You were always the good Nightmaren. I was a liability. He only wants me back because he doesn't want me as an enemy. I can't," I answered. He nodded sadly.

"I understand. I guess I have nothing else to say, then... Bye, little bro."

"Bye, Reala. Do what you need to do." He nodded once in understanding. I would put my life on the line to protect DReaMS. I wouldn't ask him to do the same. But he looked me in the eye.

"I don't know anything about it." He disappeared in a bright flash of light, and I smiled down at DReaMS. My beautiful little baby girl.

Maybe there was some hope for Reala after all.

* * *

A/n Sorry this took so long, it's actually been written for a while and I fail at typing. ...So really I have absolutely no idea where this is going. Bear with me, it may be a while before I figure the next chapter out. I apologize in advance.


End file.
